Master
by MyPalletshippingLove
Summary: Palletshipping. (Ash's POV). Before I started my pokémon journey, my mother told me that I had to choose what to win and what to lose, "sweetie, you can't have everything." And 15 years later, there I was: the love of my life on one hand, my dream job on the other.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – Prologue**

Before I started my pokémon journey, my mother told me that I had to choose what to win and what to lose, "sweetie, you can't have everything."

And 15 years later, there I was: the love of my life on one hand, my dream job on the other.

Perhaps, I should start from the very beginning…

 **-o-**

I had just turned 25 and my mom had thrown me this big surprise party at home and some of my oldest friends came.

Misty arrived with Tracey, they had been dating for almost 5 years and I just had the feeling that Tracey would propose anytime soon because their happiness seemed to increase exponentially over time, seriously, every time I saw them they were happier than the last. I'm sure they had their fights like any couple but it seemed like they could find an agreement in matter of seconds and move on. I hadn't been in a relationship for years, but if I ever found the right one, I wanted a relationship like theirs.

Brock was there too! I was so happy to see him again, he had been so focused on his job as a pokémon doctor he barely had the time to go out and enjoy himself, so naturally, I felt honored he took the time to come to my party, and he brought a date! A very healthy one, pun intended, nurse Joy!

Most of my friends couldn't come because they were either traveling on their, experiencing their own adventures or they lived in another region and couldn't find the way to come to Kanto. However, I did receive several phone calls and text messages from most of them, including May, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Clemont, Serena, Lillie and Kiawe.

But there was someone else who came to the party besides Misty, Tracey, Brock, and Joy. He arrived fashionably late, when we were all sit for dinner, and he was not wearing his best attire for the party, I mean, he didn't dress for the party at all.

I felt so bad for not thinking about him since the moment I came back to Pallet town after my last league several days before, I felt like the worst friend ever and yet, he took the time to come to my party: Gary Oak… or should I say, professor Oak. He had inherited his grandpa's title just a year ago, when he passed away and the pokémon community mourned his death for an entire month.

So, I ran to open the door as everyone else stayed in the dining room, and Gary was there when I opened the door, wearing his lab coat and a face full of stress, he seemed exhausted and sleepy, yet he was there. He didn't stay for long, but I remember the words we exchanged that night exactly the way they were spoken.

"Happy birthday, Ashy-boy," he said as he closed his eyes and then opened them before falling asleep, his eyes seemed like they hurt from the fatigue, but he still gave me a smile and a quick hug.

"Thank you, Gary, I really appreciate you coming here," I said with a smile.

He kept smiling and trying not to fall asleep. "Here's your present," he said taking a small red box out of one of his lab coat pockets.

"Oh! You shouldn't have!" I exclaimed all excited and even a little blushed.

"Just don't open it now, this may sound weird but… you can't open it until next Sunday," he said in a very serious tone, and then he yawned.

I was confused, why would he give me a present that I couldn't open until the next week? I wasn't going to object, so I decided to trust him.

"Alright, I promise I won't open it until next week," I said with a smile but I still had the doubt eating me from the inside.

"Thanks, Ashy," Gary sighed now more asleep than awake. "I really have to go now, I have a huge presentation tomorrow and I haven't even started it," he said laughing but I knew he was hurting inside.

I wished I would have helped him, but I just thought I would slow him down, and besides, I wasn't going to be able to leave my party. I knew Gary had to leave, so I didn't insist on him staying.

"Have you eaten dinner yet? I can bring you something after we're all finished," I said, worried about him.

"Thanks, Ashy, I'm fine, I just had a…" He then yawned again and slept in front of me for like three seconds. "Okay! Keep having a great time, Ashy-boy! Be seing ya!" He exclaimed with a sudden burst of energy and then left before I could even say goodbye.

I went to see Gary the next morning, but he was already gone. And he was out of town for almost a week. He had come back until the next Saturday, and I had called him to invite him for dinner because I felt bad he lived on the Oak mansion all by himself, sure, he had his young researchers helping him at the lab, but once their shifts ended, they would leave and Gary would end up alone in that big house of his. Anyway, he seemed rather tired and politely declined the invitation but he said he'd be happy to come anytime soon.

And then the next day came. It was a lovely Sunday: no clouds on sight, a very beautiful sunny day in Pallet town. I woke up that morning without knowing my life was about to change, and it wasn't going to be a small change… it was going to be rather abrupt.

I woke up relatively late and thus, I was having breakfast on my own. My mom was doing the laundry in the backyard while my pokémon partners were playing around. Pikachu seemed particularly full of energy that morning.

I watched that beautiful picture again: my mom doing her laundry while my pokémon played around her, all in the backyard full of flowers my mom had planted and taken care of for the past few years. I could see loneliness on her face, even if she had my pokémon and her Mr. Mime around… sure, she missed professor Oak.

I tried to smile. Then she smiled at me, waving her hand full of soap, and I could draw a smile on my face, I knew she was fine. I was happy and I wasn't aware of that. I would later learn that's the happiness you miss the most once you lose it.

I was half-way through my cereal when I decided to turn on the TV to see what was going on in the world. The pokémon news channel was the first to show up by default because, well, do I need to explain on that?

And it came right there, in front of me, that morning: a special news announcement the Pokémon Council was about to make was what changed my life that morning.

There they were, the members of the most prestigious group of trainers in the whole world, at least some of them who were the region champions (other members of the council included some executives and administrators who almost never fought, however, rumor had it that whenever they fought, they were even tougher than champions themselves).

And the fact that nobody knew much about the executives and administrators didn't help. They never made any public appearances, whenever the council had to make an announcement, it was the champions who made the public appearance and talked to the world.

So, there they were: Lance, Steven, Wallace, Cynthia, Alder, Diantha, and the youngest member, who was just 2 years younger than me: Sun. All of them were there, standing in front of a big crowd… how did I not know about this until I turned on the TV? Maybe it was some sort of improvised thing.

Anyway, Cynthia was the one holding the mic, she and Steven usually were the ones who spoke while the others just stayed in the back, of course, that didn't mean the other champions weren't important, they were just not that good as Cynthia and Steven in public speaking.

I wasn't expecting a big announcement to come, this sort of announcements happened once or twice a year and they informed the world about the discovery of a new type of pokémon, or a new eevolution, or a new synthetic item to improve the performance of pokémon in battle, a new mega-stone, or to inform that a rebel organization like the now extinct Team Rocket had been successfully dismantled.

But then Cynthia started speaking and I was all ears to what she had to say:

"Good morning everyone. My name is Cynthia, Sinnoh's champion and member of the Honorary and Respectable Pokémon Council. As you may know, there has always been the urban legend of what they call _the Pokémon Master,_ " Cynthia began her speech and all the crowd made a huge gasping noise and I almost fell out of my chair.

That was it, Cynthia was confirming the legend of the Pokémon Master, a trainer so powerful yet friendly to all pokémon, even legendaries; a trainer who maintained the peace between humans and pokémon, a trainer who was exactly like the stories that mentioned him: legendary.

I could see Cynthia smile to the crowd gasping in surprise. "That's right, the Pokémon Master figure was indeed established by the council since its foundation, but we didn't have the need to search for the Pokémon Master… until now."

The surprise was still shocking everyone in the crowd, and I wasn't reacting different either. Until now? What did she mean exactly?

"We need the Pokémon Master in times of peace, now that all major rebel organizations like Team Rocket, Team Plasma, Team Flare and others have been successfully dismantled."

The crowd started cheering in happiness and pride. I was happy too by the announcement, I had always wanted to be the Pokémon Master, even if I thought it was just an urban legend, and now… my dream was more tangible, it was more real. I couldn't wait for Cynthia to announce if there was going to be some sort of league to pick who was going to be the Pokémon Master.

"The council will pick the Pokémon Master based on what is established in the book that was left by its founders more than 50 years ago: each pokémon professor from each region will pick a master in trainee, this master in trainee will be the person who best fulfills the description of the Pokémon Master according to each pokémon professor, after all, they've seen countless of trainers begin their journeys along the years and there has to be at least one who has left a special mark on their hearts.

"So, counting the official regions as Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola; there will be 7 masters in trainee, all of them will have to go through a series of trails established in the book, and whoever comes out victorious will be our new Pokémon Master," Cynthia ended her explanation and the crowd cheered again.

A master in trainee, I sighed. Would I get the honor to be chosen by one of the pokémon professors? Would professor Elm from Johto choose me? Or would it be professor Birch from Hoenn? Maybe professor Rowan from Sinnoh? Professor Juniper from Unova? Professor Sycamore from Kalos? Professor Kukui form Alola? Had I left a special mark on any of them to be chosen as their master in trainee?

Then my eyes opened and I just had an epiphany, Gary was a pokémon professor too! The gift! I had forgotten to open his gift! It was already Sunday so according to him I could open it already. I ran overexcitedly to my bedroom, dreaming on how perfect and surreal it would be to have an invitation to be Gary's master in trainee as my birthday gift. But would it even be possible? It seemed rather difficult that Gary had known these news since last week.

Still, I could dream, I took the small red box out of my night table and opened it to see… a gold ring with a small pokéball badge on it… and there was also a small handwritten note, and it said:

 _Would you be my master in trainee?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I screamed like a little girl, no, I was a little girl, haha. I was so loud I felt I was going to shatter the mirrors and windows of my bedroom. But I didn't mind, was this really happening? I couldn't find any words to describe how delighted I was. Gary had chosen me to be his master in trainee, this was so surreal, so perfect! I saw the ring once again and I felt like Gary had proposed to me, I was just so damn freaking excited, I was in the most blissful state of my whole life so far!

"Ash, are you okay?" My mom asked me as she entered my room, I guess my screams were so loud that they reached the backyard.

I started laughing and crying at the same time, and then I showed her the ring. She seemed perplexed, and before she asked, I told her everything and she jumped out in excitement with me.

"Oh my! Ash, this is it! This is the moment you've been waiting for, my dear!" She exclaimed, giving me a big hug, I was still crying and I wet her blouse with my tears, but she didn't seem to mind at all, she was proud of me, and my mother being proud of me was the most important thing in the world for me.

"I have to thank Gary, mom, this is all because of him, I…" I said breathless.

"Oh my! Of course! We must throw him a thank-you-dinner! Do you like the idea?" She suggested.

It was just perfect.

"Yes, mom," I sighed, I was so happy I could die!

"Oh my! Well, I just know what would be the perfect dish to cook tonight, I've been trying to cook this recipe one of the members of the cooking forum shared the other night!" She exclaimed just as excited as I was. My mom's true passion was cooking, just like mine were pokémon, and just like Gary's was researching.

"Can I help you, mom? I promise not to slow you down… it's just that… I want to be part of it… because I really need to show Gary my thanks," I said for the first time interested in cooking, I never cared too much about cooking before, neither Brock nor Cilan nor even my mom could have convinced me to grab a frying pan before… but now, thanks to Gary, I genuinely wanted to do it.

"Sure, Ash, I'd be honored!" She exclaimed, delighted, though I'd be the honored one, not her.

So, I went with my mom to Viridian's city supermarket and helped her pick up everything for dinner, she was planning to cook a delicious filet mignon, her favorite pasta, some salad, and a raspberry pie.

We returned home and had lunch, she then took care of some of the housework while I decided to take a nap because I was sure I would need all my energy once we started preparing dinner.

But before I took that nap, I decided to personally ask Gary for dinner, so I took a small trip to the Oak mansion.

I rang the doorbell and one of Gary's assistants opened the door after waiting for a minute, the lab was at the very end of the backyard and everyone was there meaning that the mansion was lonely most of the times, except for the days Gary hired house cleaning services of course, but it wasn't like the mansion got dirty at all because well, Gary lived there by himself.

"Hi, may I help?" Gary's assistant, a young lady about our age, asked when she opened the door. She was also wearing a lab coat and some glasses.

"Yes, I'm sorry to interrupt but… can I speak to Gary? It's Ash, by the way," I said feeling nervous, but why?

"Come in," she said, smiling. "You've been here before, haven't you?" She asked me, curious.

"Not recently, but yes, I know this place." I sighed.

"Good, maybe you can help the professor relax a little, he's been pretty stressed the last few weeks, I'm sure he'll be happy to see a familiar face, let's go," she said walking in front of me, leading the way through the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, the backyard, and finally we entered the lab.

Gary had been under a lot of stress? I was sure it wasn't good, but I could try to understand how he felt, he had a big and heavy weight on his shoulders: his grandfather's legacy.

There were about a dozen of young researchers in Gary's lab, but I didn't see him around.

"He's been locked in his office since this morning… I know it's Sunday… but working in the pokémon researching community never ends," she said, a little tired but I was sure she enjoyed her job. Then she pointed me to Gary's office which was just a door at the end of the hall, he didn't have any windows to see what was going on in the lab… I felt worried he didn't have windows on the other side of his office either.

I knocked the door and I heard his voice telling me to come in, he didn't know it was me, for sure… was he waiting for me? Was he at least expecting a phone call? After all, he knew I had already opened the gift by then, didn't he?

I opened the door and thankfully, Gary had windows that led to a beautiful view outside, I didn't know why but I felt so relieved.

"Ashy-boy!" He exclaimed happily, he was clearly surprised meaning he wasn't expecting to see me or hear from me… had he forgotten about the gift? Well, it didn't seem impossible, considering he had been so stressed lately.

"Hey." I smiled, coming in and closing the door behind me.

"Please, take a seat, I'm surprised by your visit," he said standing up and walking towards me.

I could see the fatigue in his eyes, even more intense than the last time I had seen him, his eye bags were notoriously visible… and his eyes had a slightly red tone.

I sighed, I was worried about him. "Gary, have you been sleeping well?" I asked, concerned.

"Why's that? I'm fine, Ashy-boy, let's not talk about me, please, what brings you here?" He asked, smiling… but I just knew even smiling was painful to him.

So, he didn't remember, maybe it was for the best, that way I could surprise him even more that night during dinner, wearing the ring and all. "I'm here to invite you for dinner tonight, and you can't say no, my mom is already cooking a new recipe and some of her favorite dishes as well, seriously, I won't leave until you accept," I said, determined.

Gary smiled, and then he sighed, closing his eyes to take a short nap of two seconds. "You know what? Why not?" He asked, smiling.

"Great!" I exclaimed giving him a hug without thinking, it just felt so right.

"Professor, the experiment design you requested is already completed!" One of Gary's researchers said from a speaker.

"I'll be there in a second," Gary said pressing a button and talking to the speaker.

"I guess I'll leave, we'll be waiting for you tonight, my mom and I," I said.

"Good, I promise you I'll wear something else than this stinky lab coat," Gary said joking, at least he still had the energy to do that.

"Well… see you tonight, Gary," I said with a smile and then I left.

"See you tonight, Ashy-boy!" I heard him exclaim once I opened the door and left.

So, I went back home, took a nap, and when I woke up, my mom was already preparing dinner.

"Hey, I was supposed to help you!" I exclaimed with anger when I saw her in the kitchen.

She laughed, feeling guilty. "Sorry Ash, I saw you sleeping so peacefully and I didn't want to wake you up, anyway, I saved dessert for you, I'll teach you how to make a raspberry pie all by yourself, how does that sound?" She asked and honestly, I loved the idea.

"Then, let's get to it!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, happily, he was there too, helping my mom wash some vegetables, passing them to Mr. Mime for him to cut them.

So, my mom told me everything I needed to do and I followed her steps, she would sometimes make observations or give me extra advice on how to cut the raspberries or how to fold the pie sheet, but I could eventually make what looked like a very delicious raspberry pie, all thanks to her valuable experience, but only using my hands and not hers at all, so let's say it was a 75%-Ash-25%-Delia-pie.

"Alright, all that's left is to put it in the oven and wait for it to be finished," my mom said with a big smile, she seemed proud of me, finally doing something in the kitchen that didn't involve stealing food while she was making it.

"I really hope it tastes good," I said, nervous.

"It'll be fine, sweetie, you know why?"

"Because I had the help of an expert." I smiled, proudly.

My mom giggled. "Well, maybe that's part of it… but I was thinking something else… that it'll be fine because you really put a lot of effort and love to prepare it," she said, smiling.

In a way, she was right. I had put a lot of effort and love to prepare that pie for Gary because I really wanted him to know I was thankful he had chosen me as his master in trainee, and I couldn't wait for the moment at the end of dinner when he would taste the pie and compliment me, I just couldn't!

"Let me take care of things while you go get ready, I want you to look spectacular for this dinner," my mom said smiling and I had to take her word, I wanted to wear my most formal clothes, I vaguely remember having an old suit in my closet and I prayed to Arceus that it could still fit me.

"Alright, but please don't let the pie get burned, please." I sighed, nervous.

"I promise I'll keep an eye on it as I finish making the filet mignon," she said confidently.

"Thanks, mom."

I went upstairs and took a cold shower and then I looked for that old suit, it was safely and cleanly kept in a dry-cleaning bag in the closet. I took it out and then I looked at it, I was probably a bit taller by then but it would still work, I would use some socks of the same color of the slacks and problem solved, had I learned my fashion-hacks from my time in Kalos or what? Hahaha.

So, I put on the suit and looked at myself in the mirror, I looked at my hair, the same color of my suit, and I didn't recognize me at first, dressing so elegant and without one of my hats.

Then I took the ring Gary had given me as a birthday present and I put it on my finger (the one closer to my heart for a reason I did not yet know). Again, I looked at myself in the mirror and I just felt so happy and I couldn't help but smile.

But I didn't want Gary to see the ring, yet. So, I took it off my finger and put it in my pocket, safe until the right moment to wear it and show it to him arrived.

I heard the front door being knocked… Gary had already arrived!

I felt my heart racing, but why? This was just a dinner, for Arceus's sake! I put on some perfume (which I had barely used before) and then I ran down the stairs to see my mom about to open the door. It surprised me she had already changed into a casual blue dress that had a very house vibe.

And when she did open the door, there he was, Gary Oak, wearing an even more elegant suit than mine, with a cute bowtie; he was also wearing glasses and carrying a bouquet of roses.

"These are for you, miss Ketchum," Gary smiled handling her the roses.

"Oh my! You shouldn't have, Gary," my mom gasped, her hand on her heart.

My mom even blushed a little and it was inevitable to giggle.

"Well, please, come in and make yourself at home, Gary. I'm going to put these in a vase with cold water," my mom smiled as she closed the door behind Gary and walked back to the kitchen with the roses.

"Hey." Gary smiled at me, his hands on his pockets.

"Hi," I smiled hiding my hands in my pockets as well.

"Did I dress too formal? I did dress too formal, didn't I?" Gary asked me, blushing.

"That's fine, the important thing is that you're here."

"Pikachu!" My Pikachu exclaimed with joy when he saw Gary and he even jumped onto his arms.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Gary exclaimed happy to see my friend again.

Then Pikachu jumped onto the floor and returned to the kitchen.

"Come on," I grabbed his wrist and took him to the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, Gary insisted on helping my mom for whatever she needed but she had finished almost everything, she was just waiting for the clock to ring so she could serve dinner and my pie was almost finished as well, but it would stay in the oven until later that night.

"C'mon, Mrs. Ketchum, there's got to be something I can help you with… mmm… what are we drinking?" Gary asked.

"Oh my! I forgot about it! Let's see…" my mom said trying to open the fridge.

"Let me take care of it, Mrs. Ketchum, I insist," Gary said stopping my mom from opening the fridge.

My mom smiled, she was always happy to see people interested in helping, and this was no exception, even if Gary was our guest.

"Okay, Gary, you win," my mom said rolling her eyes as a joke.

"Good!" Gary exclaimed almost proudly, then my mom said she was going to make a phone call and left to the living room.

"So, what are you going to make us to drink?" I asked Gary, curious.

"Let me see," Gary said opening the fridge and checking what was inside. "Don't you have lemons?" He asked curious.

"Oh! We have a lemon tree in the backyard, I can get you some if you want," I said happy to help.

"That'd be nice, Ashy-boy," Gary said with a smile.

I took a bag and I got out to the backyard. Then I walked to the lemon tree, which happened to be just across the kitchen window. I didn't need to look back to know Gary was watching me, and somehow, I was nervous. Next, I took the step ladder near the tool shed and returned to the tree. Then I took the stairs and grabbed about 20 lemons as my pokémon watched me with curiosity, probably wondering why I was so dressed up for collecting lemons from the tree.

I returned to the kitchen and gave the lemons to Gary.

"My hero," he said, laughing.

And I laughed as well, it felt nice Gary and I were friends for a change.

"Ok, so I'm going to cut the lemons, can you help me by filling up a pitcher with water? Also, I'm going to need the sugar, can you pass it to me?"

I agreed to help him and together, we made that delicious lemonade with the perfect equilibrium between sweet and sour.

"Honestly, I never pictured myself like this… making lemonade with Ash Ketchum," Gary said, laughing again.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," I said, confused, and laughing as well.

"That lemonade looks delicious, Gary!" My mom exclaimed as she entered the kitchen and saw Gary holding the pitcher.

"I'll take this to the table, Mrs. Ketchum." Gary smiled and walked out of the kitchen.

"It's good to see Gary like this, it's been ages since I don't see him this happy, you know, since Samuel passed away," my mom told me in a low voice, then she sighed when she remembered professor Oak.

It's not that I didn't mourn professor Oak's death… I had been one of the people who cried the most in his funeral, not as much as Gary of course, but professor Oak had been like a father to me… but it had already been a year since that and one thing I had learned from him was: _"life goes on, Ash."_

"Let's get this dinner started, shall we?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes," my mom said smiling and cleaning her tears.

"Just… don't mention anything about the Pokémon Master yet, I want to surprise him at the end of the evening, it seems he doesn't remember it."

And so, dinner started, I guess it's obvious to say it but my mom's food was delicious (as well as Gary's lemonade). Conversation throughout dinner flowed naturally, my mom said something about wanting to join a cooking club in Viridian city, one of her friends talked to her about in the supermarket. Gary didn't want to talk about his job because he said he was there with us to have fun, relax, and enjoy himself; instead, Gary kept asking me questions about my pokémon journeys and the pokémon I had caught during the years; and I gladly answered them all, enjoying the fact that Gary was interested in me.

That's when it hit me… Gary didn't know much about my pokémon journeys… still, he chose me to be his master in trainee. He really believed in me, almost blindly. Yeah, I know that maybe he had heard his grandpa say lots of things about me because professor Oak knew everything about my journeys… but for a reason, I just loved the idea that Gary believed in me, blindly.

It was finally time for dessert and I went to take the raspberry pie from the oven.

"Mrs. Ketchum, that pie looks like heaven!" Gary exclaimed when he saw me walking with the pie to the table.

My mom giggled. "I didn't make that pie, Gary," she revealed.

"What? You bought that pie? Where? I will definitely start buying pies in that place!" Gary exclaimed, clueless to the fact that I had made that pie for him.

My mom was having a good laugh. "I didn't buy it, Gary, someone else here made it for you," she revealed choosing probably not the best words for it.

Then I saw Gary's face in shock.

"You made that pie for me?" He asked me with a grin.

I left the pie on the table and sat on my place. "Yeah, I still can't believe it either," I said laughing.

"You really inherited your mom's cooking skills then, I haven't tasted this pie and I already know it will be glorious!"

I was so happy to see Gary so excited. And the face when he first tasted the pie, I couldn't find words to describe how beautiful it was, something that confused me at the moment, of course.

Still, dinner kept going and we ate the pie with the lemonade that was left. I was even more surprised when I tasted it and it actually tasted good! And my mom was so proud of me, she didn't say it but I could swear I saw one or two tears come out of her eyes when she took the first bite.

"Well, Ash, Mrs. Ketchum, I can't find the words to thank you enough for this wonderful dinner you threw me tonight." Gary sighed as he stood up, preparing to leave.

"It was a pleasure to have you here, Gary," my mom said with a smile.

"Let me walk you to the door, Gary," I said, standing up and walking to the hall that led to the main door.

"Thanks again for dinner, Mrs. Ketchum," Gary said, walking to my mom, and giving her a polite handshake and goodbye kiss.

Then Gary joined me and we walked to the main door as I heard my mom taking all the dishes to the kitchen.

Once in front of the door, Gary and I were alone again.

"This was such a random dinner, I mean, there wasn't even a reason to invite me and make all that delicious food and your pie… but I'm glad you invited me, Ashy," Gary expressed.

I just knew it was the perfect time to show him my ring.

"So," I put my hand on my back and with the other, I took the ring from my pocket and put it on the finger closer to my heart; then I covered my face with both of my hands, allowing Gary to see my ring.

"Oh my God!" He exclaimed, completely astonished. "I had forgotten about the ring!" He exclaimed, blushing.

I started laughing and the awkwardness had finally made its way out of the room.

"Was it too much? The ring, I mean," he asked, embarrassed.

"No! It was perfect!" I exclaimed with a huge smile. "Thank you, Gary," I sighed putting my hand on his shoulder and then giving him a big embrace. "This means the world to me, seriously, it will be an honor to be your master in trainee," I added as I closed my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder.

I could feel Gary was nervous… maybe I was getting too close to him and I was invading his personal space… I was about to let go of the hug and apologize when he surprised me by hugging me back; I even blushed a little.

"The honor will be mine, Ketchum," he sighed resting his chin on my hair, and I could feel him breathe.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Gary had stayed hugging me in that position for too long, and when I was about to say something, I heard him… snore. Yeah! He had fallen asleep! I couldn't help but burst out a silent laugh, but I also felt bad for him, poor Gary, he really needed to take some time off from work, and I just knew all this Pokémon Master thing wasn't going to help him at all.

"Gary, Gary, Gary," I said slowly shaking his body, my hands on his shoulders.

"Wha… what? Yes! I'll have the report by Monday!" He seemed shocked and even scared. "Ash? Oh, damn! I fell asleep, didn't I?" He was so embarrassed, his cheeks were all red.

I sighed. "You really need to take a time off from work, Gary; I just don't like seeing you like this, always exhausted, always sleepy." I sighed again, this time looking to the floor.

"Hey," he said grabbing my chin. "I'll be fine, Ashy… but thanks for worrying about me, you almost act like if you were my boyfriend," he said, laughing.

I wasn't exactly offended by that comment (I didn't exactly like it either), I was rather shocked Gary would mock me by saying that "Wha… what the heck?" I asked, laughing.

"Just kidding, ignore me, I'm… just tired," he said, this time yawning.

"C'mon, let me walk you home," I said opening the door.

"I'll be fine, Ashy, you don't need to babysit me all the time," he said with a smile, closing his eyes to sleep for a few seconds in between our dialogues.

I knew I couldn't win an argument against him, so I just trusted him.

"Okay."

"Oh, by the way, I'm going to train you for a week before we head to the Pokémon Council headquarters next week, I expect you to be in the lab tomorrow at 8:00am, bring your pokémon with you."

I wasn't expecting that Gary would train me but I definitely loved the idea. I felt he had so much to teach me, Gary was so intelligent and so wise I felt lucky I was going to be his student for a week.

"Yes, sir!" I smiled.

"Good, good night, Ashy-boy," he said as he walked out the door and I watched him fade into the nightlight.

 **-o-**

 **Training Day 1**

I did my best to wake up early (because I had never been a morning person). I ended up waking up 5 minutes before 8:00am which wasn't my best but at least I wasn't sleepy anymore. I took a quick cold shower and then I got dressed in a black t-shirt, some jeans, and my tennis shoes. I decided to let my hair enjoy the breeze so I left my hat in my bedroom. I was still wearing the ring Gary had given me, every time I looked at it I felt closer to my dream coming true.

I took my empty pokéballs and put them in my pockets.

My mom had already been waiting for me downstairs, breakfast was already served and I ate, Pikachu joined me in the table as my mom was making something else in the kitchen, probably lunch.

After I finished my breakfast, I quickly went to the backyard and returned all my pokémon to their pokéballs, telling them that they wouldn't stay there for too long.

"It was delicious, mom! I'm gonna go now! Wish me luck!" I exclaimed running through the kitchen and to the door. I was already 5 minutes late and I needed to run all the way to the Oak mansion if I wanted to be at least 10 minutes late.

"Wait, Ash! Wait!" She exclaimed and I stopped before I opened the door. "Take this, for you and Gary," she said giving me a bag. "You will probably spend the whole day training and I don't want your stomachs to be empty," she added with a smile.

That was my mom, always worrying about me eating right.

"Thanks, mom!" I exclaimed and I left (not before I gave her a goodbye kiss).

So, Pikachu and I ran to the Oak mansion, it was a beautiful day, the breeze felt nice against my face, I would soon be with Gary, him teaching me everything he knew and honestly, I was nervous; but I was even more excited!

I rang the bell to the Oak mansion and I was quickly welcomed by Gary himself.

"I'm so sorry if I'm late, I promise I won't do it again!"

Gary laughed and then he played with my hair (which made me blush… no one had ever done that to me before because well… I had almost always had my hat to protect me for that display of affection).

"No worries, Ashy-boy," he said putting his hands back in his lab coat pockets. "I was just catching up with the newspaper," he added. "Well, hi Pikachu!"

"Pikachu!" He exclaimed jumping onto Gary's shoulder.

"I see you brought lunch, remember me to find a way to thank your mother," Gary said with a smile. "But please, come in."

Gary walked in front of me and Pikachu remained on his shoulder. I found it rather cute. Anyway, I closed the door behind me and followed Gary all the way to the backyard, leaving my lunch bag on a table in the kitchen.

"Stay there," Gary said as he walked to the opposite side of the backyard, leaving a rectangular area between us… were we… were we going to have a pokémon battle?

The moment Gary got to the opposite side, Pikachu jumped out of his shoulder and returned to my side.

"I probably have nothing to teach you about pokémon battles, but I want to train you today in that area," he began talking and the excitement in my body was increasing exponentially. "Pokémon battling will be one of the several trials that the Pokémon Council will make you go through as they decide who the Pokémon Master will be," he explained.

"They will be 1vs1 battles. Knowing you, you'll want to use your pikachu even if there's a type disadvantage," he said rolling his eyes and smiling.

"I don't believe in such things, all that matters is the bond you have with your pokémon," I said with confidence.

He smiled with satisfaction. "Just like I remember you," he said, closing his eyes.

"I don't have a single doubt that you are in fact the best pokémon trainer out there, but I don't want confidence to be your enemy, Ashy-boy; show me what you've got," he said taking out a great ball out of his lab coat.

"Don't go easy on me, I beg you," I said with a smile, I could feel the blood run through my veins… it was an electrifying sensation.

"Don't worry, I won't," he said, smiling, as he threw his great ball to the air. "Gallade, go!"

A Gallade? That sure was a surprise! I guess Gary had caught and trained new pokémon since the last time I had battled him, more than a decade ago. This wasn't Gary's first psychic-type pokémon in fact, I remember him having an Alakazam before. Then I remember how he also was inclined towards dark-type pokémon. Psychic and dark, for some reason I related those pokémon types to Gary's intelligence.

"This will be interesting. Pikachu, go!" I exclaimed as my friend ran to the center of the backyard, just to stand in front of Gary's gallade.

Needless to say, most (if not all) of Gary's scientists and researchers were watching us through the windows of the lab and even some of them got out of the lab and stayed by the door. Having an audience to watch us made me feel even more energetic and excited for this battle!

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" I exclaimed and Pikachu's cheeks sparkled as he smiled and released one of his strongest attacks.

Gary smiled as he closed his eyes. "Gallade, double team!"

Gary's gallade was barely touched by Pikachu's thunderbolt, receiving minor damage.

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt again! Don't let him evade it this time!"

Gary smiled again, but why? "Gallade, use double team again!"

This time, Gallade was even faster to dodge the attack and he wasn't touched by Pikachu's thunderbolt at all.

"Come on, Gary, attack me for once!" I exclaimed with a laugh.

"And spoil all the fun?" Gary asked with a laugh.

"What's with all the defensive attacks?" I asked, confused not to see Gary attacking.

"It's called a strategy, I know you don't like them but you should get used to them, at least get to know them so when one of your opponents tries to use one against you, you can think of a way to neutralize it," Gary said as if he was trying to teach me a lesson here…

I had to neutralize his defensive strategy of increasing his evasion, but how?

Then I just got it. "Pikachu, use accuracy!" I exclaimed and Pikachu used one of the newest moves he had learned through a tutor (but never used before) during our last journey, to raise his accuracy.

That was it, if Gary was raising his gallade's evasion, all I had to do was raise my pikachu's accuracy so the increase in evasion would not be significant, in other words, to cancel it. Ouch! My brain hurt for thinking too much.

I could see Gary smile a little. "I didn't expect you to find out the way to neutralize my strategy so soon," he added with a grin.

"I… will take that as a compliment," I said with a laugh. I was so enjoying this battle even if it had just begun.

"Still, it's not over, yet, Gallade, use double team!"

And Gallade raised his evasion one more time, I still had to tell Pikachu to use accuracy two more times to be even.

"Pikachu, use accuracy!" I exclaimed again.

The next minute was us basically raising our pokémon stats, however, Gary had the advantage because when he had made Gallade use double team for the sixth time, I knew he would start attacking me for real, and my Pikachu had only used accuracy four times by then, so I had to stay alive for at least two more turns to have a chance to attack Gary and land a hit on his gallade.

I had to admit Gary was forcing me to use stat raising attacks… something I almost never did, so maybe that was part of the lesson of the day, that those attacks weren't "useless" as some trainers would usually describe them.

"Gallade, use swords dance!" Gary exclaimed and his gallade raised his attack… that could only mean danger.

Gallade's evasion was at maximum and I didn't want to risk the chance of increasing Pikachu's accuracy by attacking Gallade… I had to get Pikachu's accuracy to its maximum level.

"Pikachu, use accuracy again!" I exclaimed and I now I only needed Pikachu to use that attack just once more.

"Use swords dance!" Gary exclaimed and Gallade increased his attack power again.

"Damn you Oak!" I exclaimed, afraid that if Gary attacked me again, the battle would be over.

I could make Pikachu attack… I didn't know about numbers in pokémon battles and statistics… but Gary had increased his gallade's evasion 6 times and I had increased my pikachu's accuracy 5 times… so there was like an 85% that Pikachu's attack would hit, wasn't it? My head was really hurting for thinking too much about this.

"Not so easy to neutralize this strategy, right?" Gary asked me with a laugh, the same satisfaction still in there.

"Pikachu, use volt tackle!" I exclaimed closing my eyes… it was Pikachu's most powerful attack… but it hit with recoil… so I was gambling my victory with this.

My eyes were still closed and then I heard a hit, I opened my eyes and I heard Gary's gallade cry in pain… as well as Pikachu's.

"Pikachu!" I exclaimed, trembling, afraid that he would not resist the damage.

"Gallade, wake up!" Gary exclaimed, the satisfaction he had was now gone.

Gallade quickly stood up, but he seemed tired… Pikachu hadn't stood up yet… had he been defeated?

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, standing up, but he was clearly hurt at this stage.

"Gallade, finish him with stored power!" Gary exclaimed with sparkles in his eyes.

Stored power? No! Gary had increased his stats 8 times… no way!

"Pikachu, dodge the attack!" I shouted in despair but Pikachu was very weak to even move and Gallade landed a direct and critical hit on him.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed being thrown into the air and falling back in front of me… he had been defeated.

Everyone around started clapping and cheering for Gary.

I sighed, walking to Pikachu, sitting on the grass, and holding him in my arms.

"Here, give this to him," Gary said giving me a potion.

"Thanks," I sighed, taking the potion and giving it to Pikachu, he opened his eyes and he was back to his happy self, but he stayed in my arms and decided to take a well-deserved nap.

Then Gary sat in front of me.

"Don't feel bad, Ashy… it was a good battle… I hadn't had fun like this in ages!" Gary exclaimed with a smile on his face.

I was happy to finally have battled with Gary again… but I couldn't help feeling bad… did I really have the strength to become the Pokémon Master?

"Hey, Ashy-boy, look at me and listen," Gary said grabbing my chin and looking me in my eyes.

"That might have been a cheap strategy, the one I used against you during the fight… and there is at least a dozen more… I want to teach you how to neutralize each of them so your opponent won't have a chance against you… this is the most valuable thing I can teach you about pokémon battles because honestly, you would have kicked my ass if I hadn't relied on that cheap strategy," he said laughing and he made me laugh with him too. "Come on, I have a lot to teach you," he said standing up and offering me his hand.

"Thank you, Gary," I said grabbing his hand and standing up, then Pikachu jumped to the grass next to me.

"I see everyone decided to take a break from work," Gary said, with a bit of sarcasm, as he looked to all his researchers by the window and the ones who were by the door of the lab.

"We're sorry, professor… but wow! We had never seen you battle and it was amazing!" One of Gary's assistants said with excitement.

"Mr. Kethcum here couldn't be in better hands," someone else added and I could see Gary blushing.

"We'll go back to work now, sorry, we all wish you the best during your training," one of the oldest said as she made a reverence.

They all returned to the lab and closed the window and the door, but our training had just begun.

"Okay, Ash, are you ready to continue?" Gary asked me with curiosity.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed taking out a pokéball from my pocket and throwing it to the air.

It was a long and exhausting day, but I had a lot of fun and I learned so many new things. I could even feel my brain hurting, seriously.

Gary and I had 10 battles that day (I guess we had a battle per each year we hadn't seen each other), and I learned something very valuable from each of them, I had never cared for strategies and how to neutralize them but I was going to face probably the best pokémon trainers in the world and who knew what their battling styles were like.

We had 5 fights that morning, then we ate lunch together, like a picnic; he brought us some soda and we ate what my mom had made for us; then Gary lent me a bed in one of the rooms of the mansion, to take a nap as he went to the lab to check some important stuff. I took a one-hour nap and when I returned to the backyard, Gary was there waiting for me and we continued with the rest of our battles.

I only won 4 of the 10 battles because some strategies were difficult to neutralize (or because I wasn't smart enough to think of a way to do it so), however, when we had finished all our battles, Gary took me to his office and showed me the best way to neutralize them, using his whiteboard, and I even took some notes in a notebook he gave me.

Gary said my style was natural and improvised, something I didn't understand then, but he assured me it was the best battling styles someone could have… and I blushed seeing how he complimented me and my battling skills that day.

We got out of his office and back to the backyard about 6:30pm, just as the sun was about to set in Pallet town; it had been such a tiring day.

I was exhausted, both physically and mentally, so I decided to take some rest and I sat on the grass, letting the gentle wind whisper against my face, feeling my hair dance to the waves.

The sunset mesmerized me even though I'd seen hundreds of them during my journeys; maybe I found this one particularly astounding because it had been ages since I didn't fully contemplate a sunset in my hometown… and somehow, Gary being here with me made it even better.

"It was an interesting day, huh?" Gary asked me as he stood up next to me, watching the sunset as well.

"It was, you're an excellent teacher, Gary," I sighed.

He didn't say anything for a couple of seconds, we just kept watching the sunset together.

"We still have a long way to go, Ashy-boy," he sighed.

"Gary… do you… do you really think I can be the Pokémon Master?" I asked a bit emotional, probably because of the sky's beauty.

I heard Gary laugh, in a good way. "You're already the Pokémon Master… at least to me… you're my Pokémon Master," he revealed and a wide smile appeared on my face.

I was on the edge of tears… it was the most beautiful thing someone had ever said to me in my whole life… I was Gary's Pokémon Master.

"Thanks, Gary… it means a lot to me."

He didn't say anything back, he didn't need to. He just stayed there, standing, and I remained sitting on the grass.

And then I saw it: a golden bird pokémon flying across the sky, vanishing into the golden clouds.

Ho-oh.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Training Day 2**

The next day, I got to the Oak mansion in record time (I was still 5 minutes late but hey! In my defense, I was doing my best to wake up early). I had no idea what Gary was going to teach me that day, he had already taught me all he could about pokémon battles… so what was next? And we were only on our second day of training and according to him, we would have seven.

So yeah, I was naturally dying of curiosity to know what that day's training was going to be about. Gary was expecting me by his lab door, but he didn't seem impatient at all.

"Good morning, Ashy-boy, did you sleep well last night?" Gary asked with a smile, his nice-self talking.

Honestly, I wasn't still used to the fact that Gary was friendly to me… sure, he still mocked me in several ways during our training sessions, but not as frequently as he used to do during our rival days. Ah! The good old days… wait! Was I some sort of masochist for preferring Gary to mock me?

"I slept fine, I'm still not used to waking up early," I said, blushing a little. "How did you sleep? You didn't have a lot of work to do overnight, did you?" I asked, concerned about a positive answer.

"I slept like a baby, I decided to leave my pokémon professor duties for as long as I'm training you," Gary revealed and I felt relieved because now I was sure he wasn't going to be tired or not get enough sleep because of me.

"That's great!" I exclaimed, probably a little too excited but hey! I had seen the boy exhausted and I felt bad for him. He had even fallen asleep on my shoulder for Arceus's sake! He needed to take a break from work and I was happy he was finally going to take it… even if training me wasn't going to be much less of a work load on him…

I guess I was being a little selfish, wanting Gary all to myself. But could you all really blame me for wanting not only one of the best pokémon professors in the world but also my oldest friend to train me? I trusted Gary a lot, maybe we weren't the best of friends… but I had known him for a very long time and I just knew he was one of those people you could trust with life.

"So, Ashy-boy, ready for today's class?" He asked with a laugh.

"Cla… class?" I asked, trembling, and feeling goosebumps.

Gary started laughing aloud, there was the old Gary who loved mocking me. But this was no joke, he was really going to be my teacher that day.

"Yeah, Ashy-boy, the Pokémon Master must know everything about pokémon history," he revealed.

"History? Oh, man!" I asked, my excitement to learn all gone.

"I tried to do my best to make the class as dynamic as possible, we won't be just reading, I promise. It'll be the most interesting pokémon history class you'll ever have!" He exclaimed, excited.

I blushed… he had taken his time to make the class the least boring he could… for me… I felt special for a reason… maybe I was… after all, I was Gary's master in trainee.

"Okay! Let's do it, Gary!" I jumped with excitement and entered the lab before him.

"That's the spirit!" Gary exclaimed following me into his office.

Once in his office, Gary asked me to sit and he started projecting wonderful 3D images around the place… he was right, I didn't get bored at all. He started explaining the creation of pokémon, then discussing pokémon mythology and all about legendary pokémon and their names' origins.

I mean, I wasn't unfamiliar with some stuff, like Arceus being hatched from an egg that appeared out of nowhere in the famous vortex of chaos and nothingness, then him creating Dialga, Palkia and Giratina.

But there were some crazy stuff no one else had told me about before!

No one had told me Kyogre, Groudon and Rayquaza weren't exactly created by Arceus… they had been created by the Earth's sea pressure, hardened magma, and the ozone layer respectively… it all seemed like a fairytale!

Or that at some point in the distant past, the magikarp population mutated due to unknown reasons and became weaker. What? Were magikarp stronger before? I would have loved to see them in their full-potential!

But what surprised me the most was that millions of years ago, the mew population was high like it was a normal pokémon from nowadays… but that it decreased over time as they slowly gave way to other pokémon species. How cool and awesome is that? Does that mean my pikachu has at least one of mew's genes?

I was so excited by this class! No one had told me learning could be fun! Well… maybe no one had said that because no one had had Gary as their personal teacher. I loved Gary being my teacher, my professor! I was learning so much from him and I didn't want to stop!

Well, me being hungry was the only thing that made me want to stop.

So, we took a break around noon and ate lunch, again, my mom made us something delicious. Then Gary said he wanted to take a nap, and honestly, me too. So, he went to his bedroom and he lent me the same room as the day before and we reunited in his office around 2 o'clock, where we continued with the class.

During the second session, he talked about the different eras in the pokémon timeline including all the major events in them. I was more familiar with recent history events (from about 700 years in the past to nowadays), but I did learn some very interesting facts as well.

Like, I would have never thought the pokémon move "Toxic" was created by a ninja 400 years ago!

Or that a slowpoke had brought back the rain to Azalea Town, which had been in a long drought, by yawning!

Why didn't I learn all these things in Alola's school? Not to disrespect professor Kukui, but Gary's teaching skills took my learning to a whole new level.

It had been a very interesting day after all, my brain was hurting so intensely yet again, I had to process a lot of information, but thankfully Gary gave me a small notebook with all the important notes of everything he had told me that day.

However, he advised me to read it only the night before the pokémon history trial, once we were in the Pokémon Council headquarters the week that followed.

I was certain no one else could have made pokémon history so interesting, not even professor Oak.

I had to acknowledge Gary was making a big effort in training me, and I felt so lucky that he was doing that… for me. I felt safe in his hands.

Class ended by sunset again. Gary and I got out of the lab and watched the sky in its beautiful orange color.

I stretched my arms and yawned, I was tired. Gary laughed.

"What?" I asked with a smile.

"Nothing," he said as he kept laughing.

I rolled my eyes. "Was I a good student?"

"You surpassed my expectations, indeed."

"I'll take that as a compliment." I laughed.

Anyway, I blushed and I felt so honored Gary thought of me as a good student.

"So, what's Ash Ketchum going to do for the rest of the day?"

"Huh? I… I don't know, I'll probably just go home, sleep a little, then have dinner with my mom, probably play with my pokémon, take a shower, and then go to bed," I said, thinking of what I had done the night before.

"I see… very pokémon master-like." He smiled.

"Thanks, I guess." I laughed. "How about you?" I asked, curious.

Then Gary's phone rang and he took it out of his lab coat to see who it was.

"I have to take this call; will I see you tomorrow?"

It hurt me a bit Gary ignored my last question… but why?

"Of course, see you!" I exclaimed with a smile.

"Bye, Ashy," he said as he answered the phone and walked to the corner of the backyard. "Hey, what a surprise you call me! How are you?" I heard him say with enthusiasm.

I stood there for a moment, wondering who was the person calling Gary. And why had Gary been surprised by their call? And why did I care? I felt something warm inside me… but what was it?

I looked at him again and now he was sitting on the grass, leaning against a tree trunk… still talking on the phone… and he was laughing… a lot. He seemed so happy and overjoyed.

I finally understood… I was jealous I wasn't the one making him laugh like that.


End file.
